The invention relates to a lifting fork for lifting pallets, panels, panel stacks, and the like, and comprises a fork carrier, the lower end of which supports lifting prongs, and the upper end of which is attachable to a linking piece which has a pendulous axis for the pendulous mounting of the lifting fork on a crane jib, lifting cable, or the like.
An example of a lifting fork of this type was disclosed in DE 201 17 513 U1. The lifting fork shown therein is in the form of a turning fork, i.e., the lifting prongs are attached to a prong carrier which is swivelable by means of a slewing motor about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the lifting prongs. As a result, already lifted panels can be swung around on edge, thereby facilitating handling when being carried.
A problem is encountered with such lifting forks whenever the pallets, panel stack, or the like, are not standing flat before loading, but instead have a slight tilt, for example, when a truck is located on an incline—as is often the case for construction sites with houses being built on a slope. Due to the pendulous mounting of the lifting fork, the fork swings outward when unloaded in such a way that the lifting prongs define an essentially horizontal plane. It is in fact true that the orientation of the lifting prongs could be changed by actuating the slewing motor about the axis running perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the lifting prongs. However, this action is of no help if the pallets or panels to be grasped from below must be grasped from below on the inclined side.